While fight fans in NY awaited the Ruiz-Toney heavyweight match, fans in Puerto Rico looked on as, WBO light flyweight, Nelson ‘El Fuegete’ Dieppa, 22-2 (13), was defeated by Hugo Cázares, 20-3-2 (14), in a fight whose outcome came not by fists butt by heads. Cázares took the fight to Dieppa in the early rounds, with solid boxing offense that had Dieppa somewhat stiffled, as the Puerto Rican did little in terms of putting together a coherent offense in the opening rounds. The Aztec used a snapping jab to control the action, and even made a switch to southpaw in the sixth to further pound away at the face of the ex-champ. However, with 30 seconds on the clock an accidental clash of heads left the Vieques native with a deep cut above the right eye.

Dieppa awakened by the clash of heads, began to put together his punches with better success in the 7th round, and cleanly landed his big right hand on his foe several times. Dieppa quickly started to close the points gap, and by early in the tenth had finally figured out his opponent’s style to the point where he was landing the much sharper and harder punches with regularity.

Dieppa, realizing that he needed all the points he could get, came out with a purpose in the tenth and was clearly within reach of a win as he was pounding his foe heavily. However, Nelson would not get his chance for a win during the critical championship rounds, as another accidental head-butt further lacerated the right eye of the former champion. The end came at 2:15 of the tenth round, when referee Luis Pabón stopped the fight as a result of the grotesque crimson mask worn by Dieppa. When they went to the scorecards, the official tallies would favor the Aztec with Larry Hazzard scoring it 98-92, and Carlos Colón and John Stewart with the more accurate 96-94 in favor of the new champion.

After watching his fellow countryman fall valiantly at the hands of the judges, WBO minimum-weight champion Ivan Calderón, was clearly determined to stop challenger Noel Tuñacao, 38-8-2 (18), and came out with a fury from the opening bell. The undefeated monarch was relentless as he battered Tuñacao from pillar to post with surgical precision seldom seen since the heyday of one Pernell ‘Sweet Pea’ Whitaker. The Filipino challenger was confounded by the speed and agility of his rival, and was unable to put together any kind of offense, quickly finding himself in deep waters as the champion put on a boxing clinic.

Calderón’s masterful boxing symphony in the opening rounds was as beautiful as it was deadly, his foe Tuñacao aimlessly wandered the confines of the ring receiving blistering combinations from every angle and stumbling around looking for something to hit to no avail.

The ‘Iron Boy’ would not let up and instead, stepped up in his efforts to overwhelm and outbox his taller opponent, and it was quite clear by the 5th that the Filipino was frustrated and hopelessly looking for a miracle punch, one which would never arrive.

Calderón mercilessly pounded his opponent over the next two rounds, much to the delight of the fans in attendance at the Jose Miguel Agrelot coliseum, who passionately cheered their man on.

A tired challenger was on his way out, as Calderón must have realized and capitalized on for the inevitable ending. The ‘Iron Boy’ cornered Tuñacao and battered him until the referee had seen enough at 2:25 of round eight.